Derry Girls: Impossible to Ignore

Chapter 20: Dancin' in the Rain

     The next couple days went like they did on Monday. Orla would come by the park after school to spend some time with Niall while he worked, asking each other questions to get to know each other better. Seamus saw them talking on Tuesday, but said he didn't mind as long as Niall did what he needed to do. Wednesday was a very cloudy day, not many people coming to the park because of the possibility of a storm. On this particular day, Niall was tasked with putting away any items that might be damaged by the potential rain.

     "Archery, eh?" Niall asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
     "Aye, it's cracker it is!" Orla exclaimed with a smile. "Won an amateur competition, I did!"
     "That's certainly class, it is," he replied. "Surprisin' though, hi."
     "Why's that?" she asked.
     "Just always figured if ye were gonna be involved in a competition, it'd be dance related," he shrugged.
     "Really?" she asked.
     "Aye," he replied. "Ye seem really into it. Saw ye dancin' the day we met. It was cracker, it was."
     "Ach! Catch yerself on!" she chuckled and blushed.
     "I mean it," he said. "Ye never entered any kind of dance contest?"
     "No," she answered.
     "Why not?" he asked. "Ye certainly got the talent fer it. Ye're plenty confident."
     "My step aerobics instructor did say I had the talent to go all the way," she pointed out.
     "I'm not exactly familiar with step aerobics," he said. "But if ye're as good at that as ye are dancin', then ye should absolutely do more with it. There's schools for dancin' too."

     "Not sure I could afford that," she frowned.
     "Well, there's scholarships, there are," he pointed out. "I s'pose it's too late in the year to look into that. But ye could always look into that when you start university. Are you's gonna attend university?"
     "I've thought about it, I have," she shrugged. "I think Ulster has a dance department."
     "Sounds like it's worth lookin' into then," he smiled warmly. "Cuz I think ye're cracker on yer feet, I do."
     "Do ye wanna see one of my routines?" she asked shyly.
     "Absolutely!" he exclaimed.
     "I only got a portable cassette player on me," she frowned.
"I think there's a boombox in the supply shed," he smirked.

Niall did indeed manage to find a boombox in the supply shed, and a quick check showed it was in working order. Orla knew exactly what song to go with, Sunchyme by Dario G. She hit play, took a deep breath, and just let the music flow through her. It started off with simple bobbing of her head, but the rest of her began moving within seconds. Moving perfectly in synch with the beat, she started doing an assortment of taps, spins, leaps, all with ease. Niall was absolutely enchanted by the site like he'd been the day he first saw her dancing.

     They were so distracted, that they didn't notice the first few drops of rain. Once Niall realized what was happening, he dashed to the shed to fetch an umbrella. He held it over the still dancing Orla's head, seemingly unaware of the rainfall. Once the song ended, so did the dancing. The two shared a gaze for an indeterminable amount of time, both panting and smiling.
     "That was fuckin' cracker, it was!" Niall exclaimed.
     "Really!?" Orla asked excitedly.
     "Abosofuckinlutely!" he exclaimed more. "Amazin' shit, it was!"
     Orla wrapped her arms around Niall for a big hug, which he reciprocated, albeit with one arm as he was still holding the umbrella. They pulled from the hug, still staring at each other intensely. Niall dropped the umbrella, placed his hands on Orla's cheeks, and leaned in for a kiss. She went wide eyed in surprise, but her eyes soon closed as she felt warmth and electricity flow through her.

When they parted lips, Orla's eyes were still closed, Niall's eyes never left hers. He couldn't believe he'd been that bold. He'd only ever kissed one other girl, back when he was 13. Couldn't even remember her name, not that it really mattered now. Orla slowly opened her erred as if she was waking up from a dream.
"Wow," she said almost in a whisper.
"Sorry, if that was a bit bold o' me," he lightly chuckled, grabbing the fallen umbrella.
"Can ye do it again?" she asked with a big smile.
Without answering, he gladly leaned in for another kiss, this time holding the umbrella. They both made satisfied moans. They were taken out of the moment by a loud crack of thunder.
"We better get ye home," he chuckled.
"What about the boombox?" she asked.
"I doubt it's still functionin' after all this rain," he replied. "But, I'll get yer tape."
The tape appeared to not be dampened, and Orla manages to slip it back into her portable player. They two huddled together as they walked towards the Quinn-McCool households.